BH | Studio Masham Wave-Front 2-Drawer Nightstand

Seventeenth-century cabinetmakers in Antwerp and Amsterdam ran ebony mouldings through special machines that cut them into fine, wavy ripples, and Dutch taste crossed to England with William and Mary. In North Yorkshire, the oak furniture makers of the twentieth century worked a gentle ripple into their surfaces with the adze. The idea is simple and old: give a surface a rhythm and let the light in the room do the rest.

This one is a square, low cabinet with two deep drawers, their fronts gently rippled so the grain seems to move like water as you walk past. A slim reveal between the drawers and a recessed plinth beneath are finished in a contrasting wood tone on the Almond and Cream versions, which lifts the main body and lets the whole piece appear to float. Each drawer is deep enough for books, a glasses case, chargers and hand cream, so the top stays clear for a lamp. The frame is engineered wood beneath a wood-grain laminate, and small glides under the plinth protect the floor. Assembly is required.

Set a pair either side of a queen bed with matching lamps, or use one as a side table at the end of a sofa, where the drawers take remotes and coasters. It suits a small apartment bedroom or a guest room equally well. The rippled fronts and recessed base read light and Scandinavian: pair it with white linen, a wool throw in oatmeal, a ceramic lamp and a sheepskin rug on a pale floor. This listing is for one nightstand.